Automatic caller identification translation

ABSTRACT

The invention provides an interrogator for obtaining information associated with a caller identification, such as a telephone number, transmitted within an incoming telephone call including: a receiving device configured to receive the incoming telephone call and to extract the caller identification from the incoming telephone call; an interrogating device configured to receive the extracted caller identification from the receiving device and to interrogate information associated with the caller identification from an external data base, which is configured to operate independently from the user voice communication device for which the incoming telephone call is intended for; and a forwarding device configured to receive and to forward the interrogated information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/467,736 filed Mar. 23, 2017, which is a continuation of copendingInternational Application No. PCT/EP2015/071761, filed Sep. 22, 2015,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, andadditionally claims priority from European Application No. EP 14 186402.5, filed Sep. 25, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the technical field of voice communicationsystems. In particular the invention relates to voice communicationsystems comprising user voice communication devices, such as telephones,having a display device.

Such user voice communication devices may be configured in such waythat, in case of the user voice communication device receives anincoming telephone call, a caller identification, such as a telephonenumber, indicating from which remote user voice communication device theincoming telephone call originates, is displayed or presented at thedisplay device.

Modern user voice communication devices, such as smart phones, are oftenequipped with a memory for storing contact information. Such a memoryoften is called contact list. Such modern user voice communicationdevices may be configured in such way that, in case of an incomingtelephone call the caller identification is translated into the name ofthe owner of the remote user voice communication device by usinginformation stored in the contact list.

Up to now arriving calls with number transmission are matched in theuser device/telephone by comparing the incoming caller's number withcontent of a stored contact data base. This eases recognition of who iscalling to the recipient of the call and thus he can more easily reactaccordingly without having to remember many: identifications (callerIDs) or just to pick-up the phone like with plain old telephone service(POTS) without a number display.

If someone calls whose number is not yet in the internal contact list ofthe recipient's user voice communication device then the recipient doesnot know who the caller is or was while the caller in most cases knowswho he is approaching by initiating the call. On the other hand, ifsomebody calls with new contact information, the old contact info may bedisplayed. Without active updating of the change in contact informationof the caller by the user/recipient this information easily becomesoutdated.

Such imbalance in knowledge about who is calling is often disturbing,molesting or might cause unwanted surprises. In order to avoid suchsituations, people tend not to answer the call straight away or not tocall back. This understandable strategy or behavior is delaying orhindering first contact initiation in many instances.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, an interrogator for obtaining informationassociated with a caller identification, such as a telephone number,transmitted within an incoming telephone call may have: a receivingdevice configured to receive the incoming telephone call and to extractthe caller identification from the incoming telephone call; aninterrogating device configured to receive the extracted calleridentification from the receiving device and to interrogate informationassociated with the caller identification from an external data base,which is configured to operate independently from the user voicecommunication device for which the incoming telephone call is intendedfor; and a forwarding device configured to receive and to forward theinterrogated information; herein the interrogator has a statisticsmodule configured to gather statistics regarding telephone calls withthe same caller identification and to forward the statistics.

According to another embodiment, a user voice communication device, suchas a telephone, may have: a microphone for recording of voice signals;loudspeaker for reproduction of voice signals; an input deviceconfigured for controlling operations of the user voice communicationdevice by user actions; a display device configured to presentinformation in visual form; and an interrogator for obtaininginformation associated with a caller identification, such as a telephonenumber, transmitted within an incoming telephone call, the interrogatorhaving: a receiving device configured to receive the incoming telephonecall and to extract the caller identification from the incomingtelephone call, an interrogating device configured to receive theextracted caller identification from the receiving device and tointerrogate information associated with the caller identification froman external data base, which is configured to operate independently fromthe user voice communication device for which the incoming telephonecall is intended for, and a for warding device configured to receive andto forward the interrogated information; wherein the display device isconfigured to present the interrogated information forwarded by theinterrogator when receiving the incoming telephone call.

According to another embodiment, a user voice communication device, suchas a telephone, may have: a microphone for recording of voice signals; aloudspeaker for reproduction of voice signals; an input deviceconfigured for controlling operations of the user voice communicationdevice by user actions; a display device configured to presentinformation in visual form; and a receiving unit configured to receivethe interrogated information from an interrogator for obtaininginformation associated with a caller identification, such as a telephonenumber, transmitted within an incoming telephone call, and to forwardthe interrogated information; wherein the interrogator has: a receivingdevice configured to receive the incoming telephone call and to extractthe caller identification from the incoming telephone call, aninterrogating device configured to receive the extracted calleridentification from the receiving device and to interrogate informationassociated with the caller identification from an external data base,which is configured to operate independently from the user voicecommunication device for which the incoming telephone call is intendedfor, and a forwarding device configured to receive and to forward theinterrogated information; wherein the forwarding device is configured toforward the associated information to a remote user voice communicationdevice for which the telephone call is intended for over at least onethird communication channel, in particular over at least one thirdpacket based communication channel, connecting the interrogator and theremote user voice communication device; wherein the display device isconfigured to present the interrogated information forwarded by thereceiving unit when receiving the incoming telephone call; wherein theuser voice communication device has a con tact list, wherein the uservoice communication device is configured in such way that theinterrogated information is used to update the contact listautomatically or on a respective user action at the input device.

Another embodiment may have a voice communication network having aninventive interrogator and an external data base, wherein theinterrogator and the external data base are connected in such way thatthe interrogator may interrogate information associated with the calleridentification from the external data base when receiving the incomingcall.

In one aspect the invention provides an interrogator for obtaininginformation associated with a caller identification, such as a telephonenumber, transmitted within an incoming telephone call comprising:

a receiving device configured to receive the incoming telephone call andto extract the caller identification from the incoming telephone call;

an interrogating device configured to receive the extracted calleridentification from the receiving device and to interrogate informationassociated with the caller identification from an external data base,which is configured to operate independently from the user voicecommunication device for which the incoming telephone call is intendedfor; and

a forwarding device configured to receive and to forward theinterrogated information.

A caller identification is a, in particular alpha numeric, code,transmitted within a telephone call, which is used to identify the uservoice communication device from which the telephone call originates. Thecaller identification may be in particular a telephone number or aparticular IP-number of a computer using VoIP. A user voicecommunication device is any device comprising at least a microphone anda loudspeaker, which is configured to initiate and to receive atelephone call. User voice communication devices are in particularlandline telephones, mobile telephones and computers having a microphoneand a loudspeaker and being configured to initiate and to receivetelephone calls. User voice communication devices may use analogtelecommunication channels, digital telecommunication channels, such asIDSN, or packet based telecommunication channel, such as VoIP.

The term interrogator as used herein refers to a device capable offormulating a query or a data base interrogation in order to getspecific information related to the query. Specifically the querycontains the caller identification which might be added by furtherparameter to specify the kind and amount of data to be requested by theinterrogator. The forwarding device is capable of receiving the answerof the external data base to the interrogation, which is specificallyinformation associated with the caller identification and to forward itin particular to an output device of the user voice communication devicefor which the incoming telephone call is intended.

The interrogator according to the invention translates the calleridentification using information associated with the calleridentification, which is stored in an external data base, which isoperated independently from a user voice communication device for whichthe incoming telephone call is intended. Therefore, it's possible todisplay information related to the caller identification which is notstored at the user voice communication device.

The term external data base usually is located outside of the user voicecommunication device for which the incoming telephone call is intended.It can be a company data base or a data base in the home network or anassociated laptop.

The invention provides a mechanism for information proliferationassociated with a specific telephone number transmitted during atelephone call. The invention enables an added value service to thecaller and the recipient of the telephone call by checking and matchingthe caller ID/telephone number with more informative data registered inthe data base which associates the caller ID/telephone number which isuniquely linked with caller specific information.

However, the associated information will not be transferred directlyfrom the user voice communication device of the caller to the user voicecommunication device of the recipient, so that security problems such aspropagation of viruses are avoided.

The interrogator and its associated databases can be configured such,that privacy obligations are met. Access rules may be established forindividual users or groups of individual users, which define whichinformation contained in the external database is provided upon aninterrogation. If, for example, the recipient of the call is working forthe same company as the caller, more information may be providedcompared to a case where the recipient is working for another companythan the caller.

For instance the described cross checking can be performed by anapplication software (app) installed on the user's smart phone whichestablishes or has already an active internet connection when thetelephone call arrives. The app is accessing the data base whereinformation about the caller ID is available e.g. this can be telephonecompany's online telephone book like white or yellow pages, or any otherdata base which allows association of the caller's ID and additionalinformation. This includes also data bases like those used by Skype orother Voice over Internet Protocol services (VoIP services).

If such information is available, the recipient of the call will get theappropriate information associated with the caller ID to be displayed onhis user voice communication device.

The mechanism is in the opposite direction similar to the Dynamic NameServers (DNS) used on the internet in order to translate web addressnames like www.test.com into an IP number to know the address of theserver who holds the content for the web link of interest.

Furthermore, the invention allows incorporating the option that userscan have full content control what is associated with their caller ID.Such authorized data bases could be run by a government agency, atelephone operator or someone else to handle such information in atrustful manner.

When using internet based VoIP telephony using Session InitiationProtocol (SIP) the caller's telephone number/ID can be associated with aname or other information stored at the SIP contact register base.

The invention provides balanced identity information between caller andrecipient of a telephone call.

Currently the recipient just gets the caller's ID displayed on his phonewhen the caller's is not in the recipient's contact list yet. Thestructure of the caller's ID might provide a hint to the location ororganization of the caller if the recipient is familiar with such numberstructures like country code, city code etc. If that is not the case therecipient has very little information about the caller's identity. Thenumerical ID is just good enough for calling back in order to find outwho is answering the phone.

Compared to that the invention provides following advantages:

-   -   1. By providing more and better suited information about the        caller by associating his caller ID with information obtained        from a database, such as a trusted server, the recipient of the        call gets more information about the caller before answering the        call or calling back.    -   2. By having this information the recipient can easier and        faster make decisions if and when to answer the call or when to        call back, situation appropriate priority handling when and whom        to answer is facilitated.    -   3. Professionals and private users can associate specific        information with the ID, similar to entries in a telephone book.    -   4. The data base can be operated and updated by one or several        hosts or a specifically authorized legal entity.    -   5. People can easier check who was calling in order to make        priorities when calling back.    -   6. The service can be provided automatically by a        telecommunications service provider (TSP) or even mobile network        operator (MNO) by providing the additional information over e.g.        the SMS data channel, which can even be operated in parallel        with Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) whereas other        data services (packet switched service) can usually not        co-operate with speech services (circuit switched). For all IP        based mobile telephony systems like LTE implementations of such        features are very easy.

According to an embodiment of the invention the interrogator isconfigured to interrogate and forward the associated informationcontaining alpha numeric messages and/or image messages.

Associated information may include name, gender, age, company, slogan,location etc. of the owner of the user voice communication device fromwhich the telephone call originates. Associated information may alsoinclude an open-ID field. The field may indicate if the caller iswilling to provide information about his own identity or if informationabout his identity is available at the external data base.

If such information being associated with the caller's ID is availableit may be forwarded to the user voice communication device. Theforwarded associated information may then be displayed at the display ofthe recipient's user voice communication device so that the recipientmay identify the caller. If the recipients user voice communicationdevice is capable of displaying images it may also be useful that theassociated information includes image messages related to the calleridentification. Modern day smart phones or computers usually providethis option.

If such associated information is not yet existing, for instance ifsomeone gets a call from a phone which never was used to call therecipient before, the interrogator will just keep the caller's number toinform the target/recipient about the call and where it came from, sothe intended recipient of the call can opt to call back.

According to an embodiment of the invention the receiving device isconfigured to receive the incoming telephone call over at least onefirst telecommunication channel, in particular at least one first packetbased telecommunication channel, connecting the interrogator and uservoice communication device, from which the incoming telephone call comesfrom. The first telecommunication channel may comprise analogtelecommunication channels, digital telecommunication channels, such asIDSN, or packet based telecommunication channel, such as VoIP. By thesefeatures the physical location of the interrogator is independent fromthe physical location of the user voice communication device, from whichthe incoming telephone call comes from.

According to an embodiment of the invention the interrogating device isconfigured to interrogate the associated information over at least onesecond telecommunication channel, in particular over at least one secondpacket based telecommunication channel, connecting the interrogator andthe external data base, and wherein the forwarding device is configuredto receive the associated information over the at least one secondtelecommunication channel, in particular over at least one second packetbased telecommunication channel. The second telecommunication channelmay comprise analog telecommunication channels, digitaltelecommunication channels, such as IDSN, or packet basedtelecommunication channel, such as VoIP. By these features the physicallocation of the interrogator is independent from the physical locationof the external database.

According to an embodiment of the invention the interrogator comprises astatistics module configured to gather statistics regarding previoustelephone calls with the same caller identification and to forward thestatistics. By these features additional information may be presented tothe recipient of the incoming telephone call.

According to an embodiment of the invention the forwarding device isconfigured to forward the associated information to a remote user voicecommunication device for which the telephone call is intended for overat least one third communication channel, in particular over at leastone third packet based communication channel. The thirdtelecommunication channel may comprise analog telecommunicationchannels, digital telecommunication channels, such as IDSN, or packetbased telecommunication channel, such as VoIP.

According to an embodiment of the invention the forwarding device isconfigured to forward the statistics to the remote user voicecommunication device over the at least one third communication channel,in particular over the at least one third packet based communicationchannel.

According to an embodiment of the invention the forwarding device isconfigured to forward the incoming telephone call to the remote uservoice communication device over the at least one third communicationchannel, in particular over the at least one third packet basedcommunication channel.

By these features the physical location of the interrogator isindependent from the physical location of the user voice communicationdevice for which the telephone call is intended for.

According to an embodiment of the invention the receiving device, theinterrogating device and/or the forwarding device is a virtual devicesuch as a software module. Virtual devices are devices which are notrepresented by hardware such as an electronic circuit. If one or more ofsaid devices are virtual devices, the hardware costs may be minimized.However, it is also possible to realize said devices as hardware. Thevirtual devices may be in principle located anywhere in thecommunication network.

In a further aspect the invention provides a user voice communicationdevice, such as a telephone, comprising:

a microphone for recording of voice signals;

a loudspeaker for reproduction of voice signals;

an input device configured for controlling operations of the user voicecommunication device by user actions;

a display device configured to present information in visual form; and

an interrogator according to one of claims 1 to 5;

wherein the display device is configured to present the interrogatedinformation forwarded by the interrogator when receiving the incomingtelephone call.

In this embodiment of the invention the interrogator is embedded intothe user voice communication device for which the incoming telephonecall is intended for.

In another aspect the invention provides a user voice communicationdevice, such as a telephone, comprising:

a microphone for recording of voice signals;

a loudspeaker for reproduction of voice signals;

an input device configured for controlling operations of the user voicecommunication device by user actions;

a display device configured to present information in visual form; and

a receiving unit configured to receive the interrogated information froman interrogator according to claim 6 or 7 and to forward theinterrogated information;

wherein the display device is configured to present the interrogatedinformation forwarded by the receiving unit when receiving the incomingtelephone call.

In this embodiment of the invention the interrogator as described aboveis employed independently from the user voice communication device forwhich the incoming telephone call is intended for.

According to an embodiment of the invention the user voice communicationdevice comprises a contact list, wherein the user voice communicationdevice is configured in such way that the interrogated information isused to update the contact list automatically or on a respective useraction at the input device.

According to an embodiment of the invention the user voice communicationdevice is configured in such way that it is selectable by a respectiveuser action at the input device whether the interrogated information,information from the contact list related to the caller identificationor a mixture of both is presented at the display device when receivingthe incoming telephone call.

According to an embodiment of the invention the user voice communicationdevice is configured in such way that, if information from the contactlist related to the caller identification is available, the availableinformation from the contact list is presented automatically whenreceiving the incoming telephone call in case that the interrogatedinformation is not forwarded.

According to an embodiment of the invention statistics regardingprevious telephone calls with the same caller identification forwardedby the interrogator are presented at the display device automaticallywhen receiving the incoming telephone call and/or upon a respective useraction at the input device.

In a further aspect the invention relates to a voice communicationnetwork comprising an interrogator and an external data base, whereinthe interrogator and the external data base are connected in such waythat the interrogator may interrogate information associated with thecaller identification from the external data base when receiving theincoming call.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will be detailed subsequentlyreferring to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an interrogator according to theinvention in a schematic view;

FIG. 2 illustrates a first embodiment of a user voice communicationdevice according to the invention in a schematic view;

FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the user voice communicationdevice according to the invention in a schematic view;

FIG. 4 illustrates a first example for the integration of aninterrogator according to the invention into a voice telecommunicationsystem in a schematic view; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a second example for the integration of aninterrogator according to the invention into a voice telecommunicationsystem in a schematic view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an interrogator 1 according to theinvention in a schematic view. The interrogator 1 for obtaininginformation AI associated with a caller identification CI, such as atelephone number CI, transmitted within an incoming telephone call TCcomprises:

a receiving device 2 configured to receive the incoming telephone callTC and to extract the caller identification CI from the incomingtelephone call TC;

an interrogating device 3 configured to receive the extracted calleridentification CI from the receiving device 2 and to interrogateinformation AI associated with the caller identification CI from anexternal data base 13, see FIGS. 4 and 5, which is configured to operateindependently from the user voice communication device 6, 6′, see FIGS.2 to 5, for which the incoming telephone call TC is intended for; and

a forwarding device 4 configured to receive and to forward theinterrogated information AI.

A caller identification CI is a, in particular alpha numeric, code,transmitted within a telephone call TC, which is used to identify theuser voice communication device 17, see FIGS. 4 and 5, from which thetelephone call TC originates. The caller identification CI may inparticular be a telephone number Cl. A user voice communication device6, 6′, 17 is any device comprising at least a microphone 7, see FIGS. 2and 3 and a loudspeaker, see FIGS. 2 and 3, which is configured toinitiate and to receive a telephone call TC. User voice communicationdevices 6, 6′, 17 are in particular landline telephones, mobiletelephones and computers having a microphone 7 and a loudspeaker 8th andbeing configured to initiate and to receive telephone calls TC. Uservoice communication devices 6, 6′, 17 may use analog telecommunicationchannels, digital telecommunication channels, such as IDSN, or packetbased telecommunication channel, such as VoIP.

The term interrogator 4 as used herein refers to a device capable offormulating a query or a data base interrogation DBI, in order to getspecific information AI related to the query DBI. Specifically the queryDBI contains the caller identification CI. The forwarding device 4 iscapable of receiving the answer AI of the data base interrogation DBI,which is specifically information AI associated with the calleridentification CI.

The interrogator 1 according to the invention translates the calleridentification CI using information AI associated with the calleridentification CI, which is stored in a data base 13, which is operatedindependently from a user voice communication device 6, 6′ for which theincoming telephone call TC is intended. Therefore, it's possible todisplay information AI related to the caller identification CI which isnot stored at the user voice communication device 6, 6′.

The invention provides a mechanism for information proliferationassociated with a specific telephone number CI transmitted during atelephone call TC. The invention enables an added value service to thecaller and the recipient of the telephone call TC by checking andmatching the caller ID/telephone number CI with more informative data AIregistered in the data base 13 which associates the caller ID/telephonenumber CI which is uniquely linked with caller specific information AI.

However, the associated information AI will not be transferred directlyfrom the user voice communication device 17 of the caller to the uservoice communication device 6, 6′ of the recipient, so that securityproblems, such as propagation of viruses, are avoided.

For instance the described cross checking can be performed by anapplication software 1 (app) installed on the user's smart phone 6, 6′which establishes or has already an active internet connection when thetelephone call TC arrives. The app 1 is accessing the data base 13 whereinformation AI about the caller identification CI is available e.g. thiscan be telephone company's online telephone book like white or yellowpages, or any other data base which allows association of the caller'sidentification CI and additional information. This includes also databases like those used by Skype or other Voice over Internet Protocolservices (VoIP services).

If such information AI is available, the recipient of the call TC willget the appropriate information AI associated with the calleridentification CI to be displayed on his user voice communication device6, 6′.

The mechanism is in the opposite direction similar to the Dynamic NameServers (DNS) used on the internet in order to translate web addressnames like www.test.com into an IP number to know the address of theserver who holds the content for the web link of interest.

Furthermore, the invention allows incorporating the option that userscan have full content control what is associated with their calleridentification Cl. Such authorized data bases 13 could be run by agovernment agency, a telephone operator or someone else to handle suchinformation in a trustful manner.

When using internet based VoIP telephony using Session InitiationProtocol (SIP) the caller's telephone number/ID can be associated with aname or other information stored at the SIP contact register base.

The invention provides balanced identity information between caller andrecipient of a telephone call TC.

Currently the recipient just gets the caller's identification CIdisplayed on his phone when the caller's is not in the recipient'scontact list yet. The structure of the caller's identification CI mightprovide a hint to the location or organization of the caller if therecipient is familiar with such number structures like country code,city code etc. If that is not the case the recipient has very littleinformation about the caller's identity. The numerical identification CIis just good enough for calling back in order to find out who isanswering the phone.

Compared to that the invention provides following advantages:

-   -   1. By providing more and better suited information AI about the        caller by associating his caller identification CI with        information AI obtained from a database 13, such as a trusted        server 13, the recipient of the call gets more information AI        about the caller before answering the call TC or calling back.    -   2. By having this information AI the recipient can easier and        faster make decisions if and when to answer the call TC or when        to call back, situation appropriated priority handling when and        whom to answer is facilitated.    -   3. Professionals and private users can associate specific        information AI with the caller identification CI, similar to        entries in a telephone book.    -   4. The data base 13 can be operated and updated by one or        several hosts or a specifically authorized legal entity.    -   5. People can easier check who was calling in order to make        priorities when calling back.    -   6. The service can be provided automatically by a        telecommunications service provider (TSP) or even mobile network        operator (MNO) by providing the additional information AI over        e.g. the SMS data channel, which can even be operated in        parallel with Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)        whereas other data services (packet switched service) can        usually not co-operate with speech services (circuit switched).        For all IP based mobile telephony systems like LTE        implementations of such features are very easy.

According to an embodiment of the invention the interrogator 1 isconfigured to interrogate and forward the associated information AIcontaining alpha numeric messages and/or image messages.

Associated information AI may include name, gender, age, company,slogan, location etc. of the owner of the user voice communicationdevice from which the telephone call originates. Associated informationAI may also include an open-ID field. The field may indicate if thecaller is willing to provide information about his own identity or ifinformation about his identity is available at the external data base.

If such information AI being associated with the caller's identificationCI is available it may be forwarded to the user voice communicationdevice 6, 6′. The forwarded associated information AI may then bedisplayed at the display device 10, see FIGS. 2 and 3, of therecipient's user voice communication device 6, 6′ so that the recipientmay identify the caller. If the recipients user voice communicationdevice 6, 6′ is capable of displaying images it may also be useful thatthe associated information AI includes image messages related to thecaller identification CI. Modern day smart phones or computers usuallyprovide this option.

If such associated information AI is not yet existing, for instance ifsomeone gets a call from a phone 17 which never was used to call therecipient before, the interrogator 1 will just keep the caller's numberCI to inform the target/recipient about the call TC and where it camefrom, so the intended recipient of the call TC can opt to call back.

According to an embodiment of the invention the receiving device who isconfigured to receive the incoming telephone call TC over at least onefirst telecommunication channel 14, see FIGS. 4 and 5, in particular atleast one first packet based telecommunication channel 14, connectingthe interrogator 1 and user voice communication device 17, from whichthe incoming telephone call TC comes from. The first telecommunicationchannel 14 may comprise analog telecommunication channels, digitaltelecommunication channels, such as IDSN, or packet basedtelecommunication channel 14, such as VoIP. By these features thephysical location of the interrogator 1 is independent from the physicallocation of the user voice communication device 17, from which theincoming telephone call comes from.

According to an embodiment of the invention the interrogating device 3is configured to interrogate the associated information AI over at leastone second telecommunication channel 15, see FIGS. 4 and 5, inparticular over at least one first packet based telecommunicationchannel 15, connecting the interrogator 1 and the external data base 13,and wherein the forwarding device for is configured to receive theassociated information AI over the at least one second telecommunicationchannel 15, in particular over at least one second packet basedtelecommunication channel 15. The second telecommunication channel 15may comprise analog telecommunication channels, digitaltelecommunication channels, such as IDSN, or packet basedtelecommunication channel, such as VoIP. By these features the physicallocation of the interrogator 1 is independent from the physical locationof the external database 13.

According to an embodiment of the invention the interrogator 1 comprisesa statistics module 5 configured to gather statistics ST regardingprevious telephone calls with the same caller identification CI and toforward the statistics ST. By these features additional information STmay be presented to the recipient of the incoming telephone call TC.

According to an embodiment of the invention the forwarding device for isconfigured to forward the associated information AI to a remote uservoice communication device 6′ for which the telephone call TC isintended for over at least one third communication channel 16, see FIG.5, in particular over at least one third packet based communicationchannel 16. The third telecommunication channel 16 may comprise analogtelecommunication channels, digital telecommunication channels, such asIDSN, or packet based telecommunication channel, such as VoIP.

According to an embodiment of the invention the forwarding device for isconfigured to forward the statistics ST to the remote user voicecommunication device 6′ over the at least one third communicationchannel 16, in particular over the at least one third packet basedcommunication channel 16.

According to an embodiment of the invention the forwarding device for isconfigured to forward the incoming telephone call TC to the remote uservoice communication device 6′ over the at least one third communicationchannel 16, in particular over the at least one third packet basedcommunication channel 16.

By these features the physical location of the interrogator 1 isindependent from the physical location of the user voice communicationdevice 6′ for which the telephone call TC is intended for.

According to an embodiment of the invention the receiving device 2, theinterrogating device 3 and/or the forwarding device 4 is a virtualdevice 2, 3, 4 such as a software module 2, 3, 4. Virtual devices aredevices which are not represented by hardware such as an electroniccircuit. If one or more of said devices 2, 3, 4 are virtual devices 2,3, 4 the hardware costs may be minimized. However, it is also possibleto realize said devices 2, 3, 4 as hardware. The virtual devices 2, 3, 4may be in principle located anywhere in the communication network.

FIG. 2 illustrates a first embodiment of a user voice communicationdevice 6 according to the invention in a schematic view. The user voicecommunication device 6, such as a telephone, comprises:

a microphone 7 for recording of voice signals;

a loudspeaker 8 for reproduction of voice signals;

an input device 9 configured for controlling operations of the uservoice communication device by user actions;

a display device 10 configured to present information in visual form;and an interrogator 1 according to one of claims 1 to 5;

wherein the display device 10 is configured to present the interrogatedinformation AI forwarded by the interrogator 1 when receiving theincoming telephone call TC.

In this embodiment of the invention the interrogator 1 is embedded intothe user voice communication device 6 for which the incoming telephonecall TC is intended for.

FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the user voice communicationdevice according to the invention in a schematic view. The user voicecommunication device 6′, such as a telephone, comprises:

a microphone 7 for recording of voice signals;

a loudspeaker 8 for reproduction of voice signals;

an input device 9 configured for controlling operations of the uservoice communication device by user actions;

a display device 10 configured to present information in visual form;and

a receiving unit 11 configured to receive the interrogated informationAI from an interrogator 1 according to claim 6 or 7 and to forward theinterrogated information AI;

wherein the display device 10 is configured to present the interrogatedinformation AI forwarded by the receiving unit 11 when receiving theincoming telephone call TC.

In this embodiment of the invention the interrogator 1 as describedabove is employed independently from the user voice communication device6′ for which the incoming telephone call TC is intended for.

According to an embodiment of the invention the user voice communicationdevice 6, 6′ comprises a contact list 12, wherein the user voicecommunication device 6, 6′ is configured in such way that theinterrogated information AI is used to update the contact list 12automatically or on a respective user action at the input device 9.

According to an embodiment of the invention the user voice communicationdevice 6, 6′ is configured in such way that it is selectable by arespective user action at the input device 9 whether the interrogatedinformation AI, information IC from the contact list 12 related to thecaller identification the or a mixture of both is presented at thedisplay device 10 when receiving the incoming telephone call TC.

According to an embodiment of the invention the user voice communicationdevice 6, 6′ is configured in such way that, if information from thecontact list related to the caller identification CI is available, theavailable information IC from the contact list 12 is presentedautomatically when receiving the incoming telephone call TC in case thatthe interrogated information AI is not forwarded.

According to an embodiment of the invention statistics ST regardingprevious telephone calls with the same caller identification CIforwarded by the interrogator 1 according to claim 5 are presented atthe display device 10 automatically when receiving the incomingtelephone call TC and/or upon a respective user action at the inputdevice 9.

FIG. 4 illustrates a first example for the integration of aninterrogator according to the invention into a voice telecommunicationsystem in a schematic view. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, theinterrogator 1 is embedded in the user voice communication device 6 forwhich the telephone call TC originating from the user voicecommunication device 17 is intended. Voice communication device 6 andthe voice communication device 17 are connected by the firsttelecommunication channel 14. The interrogator 1 is configured to send adatabase interrogation DBI comprising a caller identification CI of theuser voice communication device 17 to the data base 13 over a secondtelecommunication channel 15 which connects the interrogator 1 and thedatabase 13. If the database 13 contains information AI associated withthe caller identification CI the information AI will be transmitted overthe second telecommunication channel 15 to the user voice communicationdevice 6.

FIG. 5 illustrates a second example for the integration of aninterrogator according to the invention into a voice telecommunicationsystem in a schematic view. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, theinterrogator 1 is embedded in the voice communication network. Uservoice communication device 17 from which the telephone call TC isoriginating and interrogator 1 are connected by the firsttelecommunication channel 14. The interrogator 1 is configured to send adatabase interrogation DBI comprising a caller identification CI of theuser voice communication device 17 to the data base 13 over a secondtelecommunication channel 15 which connects the interrogator 1 and thedatabase 13. If the database 13 contains information AI associated withthe caller identification CI the information AI will be transmitted overthe second telecommunication channel 15 to the interrogator 1. Theinterrogator 1 forwards the associated information AI, the telephonecall TC and optionally statistics ST over the first telecommunicationchannel 16 2 of the user voice communication device 6 for which thetelephone call TC is intended for.

In a further aspect the invention relates to a voice communicationnetwork comprising an interrogator 1 according to claim 6 or 7 and anexternal data base 13, wherein the interrogator 1 and the external database 13 are connected in such way that the interrogator 1 mayinterrogate information AI associated with the caller identification CIfrom the external data 13 base when receiving the incoming call TC.

The principles of the invention may be summarized as follows:

-   -   1. According to the invention, an interrogator 1, which may be a        the software entity 1, such as an ID Broker 1, which can be        located in the user voice communication device 6 or on the        network side with the mobile network operator (MNO) is checking        the callers identification CI with a data base 13 which provides        additional data AI about the caller.    -   2. The associated information AI may be forwarded from the        interrogator 1 to the recipient of the call TC via a packet        based communication channel 16.    -   3. At the recipient's user voice communication device 6, 6′ the        information AI about the caller's identification CI is displayed        for the user to be seen/used.    -   4. The information AI about the caller can be enriched by the        available information AI amount associated with the caller        identification CI according the recipient's/user's or caller        settings or preferences.    -   5. If the recipient has information IC about the caller in his        contacts list 12, the displayed information can be either the        newly provided one AI, or the already available IC one or a        mixture of both.    -   6. Together with the call TC, the caller can also transmit text        (e.g. subject of the call) or other data (e.g. picture of a sad        dog when apologizing) that gets displayed when the call TC        reaches the receiving user voice communication device 6, 6′.    -   7. The contact list 12 can be updated according to transmitted        information AI and the settings of the receiver and/or caller.    -   8. The user can be subscribed to such ID Broker Service or the        ID Broker Service may be offered or provided by the MNO.    -   9. Caller reputation and statistics ST could be gathered by the        interrogator 1.    -   10. Additional web search and social media search based        information or links to them can be provided about the caller        and/or by the caller.    -   11. Recipient of the call can evaluate an open-ID field. The        field may indicate if the caller is willing to provide        information AI about his own identity or if information about        his identity is available at an external data base 13. The        recipient list may be categorized and different information may        be associated with that categorization. The information and the        open-ID field may be set according to that categorization. If        there is no content available or the caller is not willing to        have information shared about his identity, then the recipient        can decide if he is responding with his open-ID field as        enabled/disabled depending on the recipient's settings in        general or in detail regarding the caller's ID.    -   12. The former principle can be extended towards the level of        information which is shared and this again depending on the        status of the communication partner at the other end (caller or        recipient).    -   13. The system may comprise functions about call history. The        system may for example evaluate if there was a previous contact        or not. The system may also evaluate the number of previous        contacts.    -   14. The system may include categorizations of callers: recipient        can put callers into different categories, favorites, . . . .        Availability for calls may be set according to this        categorization. Communication partners could be categorized e.g.        as private friends, business colleagues; public level and        information to be shared can also be managed in different        categories.    -   15. System may be extended towards managed group calls. All        these principles may be applied to multipoint connections.

While this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments,there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents which fall withinthe scope of this invention. It should also be noted that there are manyalternative ways of implementing the methods and compositions of thepresent invention. It is therefore intended that the following appendedclaims be interpreted as including all such alterations, permutationsand equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A user voice communication devicecomprising: a microphone for recording of voice signals; a loudspeakerfor reproduction of voice signals; an input device configured forcontrolling operations of the user voice communication device by useractions; a display device configured to present information in visualform; and a receiving unit configured to receive the interrogatedinformation from an interrogator for acquiring information associatedwith a caller identification transmitted within an incoming telephonecall, and to forward the interrogated information; wherein theinterrogator comprises: a receiving device configured to receive theincoming telephone call and to extract the caller identification fromthe incoming telephone call, an interrogating device configured toreceive the extracted caller identification from the receiving deviceand to interrogate information associated with the caller identificationfrom an external data base, which is configured to operate independentlyfrom the user voice communication device for which the incomingtelephone call is intended for, and a forwarding device configured toreceive and to forward the interrogated information; wherein theforwarding device is configured to forward the associated information toa remote user voice communication device for which the telephone call isintended for over at least one third communication channel, inparticular over at least one third packet based communication channel,connecting the interrogator and the remote user voice communicationdevice; wherein the display device is configured to present theinterrogated information forwarded by the receiving unit when receivingthe incoming telephone call; wherein the user voice communication deviceis configured in such way that it is selectable by a respective useraction at the input device whether the interrogated information,information from the contact list related to the caller identificationor a mixture of both is presented at the display device when receivingthe incoming telephone call.
 2. The user voice communication deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the user voice communication devicecomprises a contact list, wherein the user voice communication device isconfigured in such way that the interrogated information is used toupdate the contact list automatically or on a respective user action atthe input device.
 3. The user voice communication device according toclaim 1, wherein the user voice communication device is configured insuch way that, if information from the contact list related to thecaller identification is available, the available information from thecontact list is presented automatically at the display device whenreceiving the incoming telephone call in case that the interrogatedinformation is not forwarded.
 4. The user voice communication deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the interrogated information forwarded bythe interrogator comprises statistics regarding previous telephone callswith the same caller identification, wherein the statistics arepresented at the display device automatically when receiving theincoming telephone call and/or upon a respective user action at theinput device.
 5. A voice communication network comprising aninterrogator and an external data base; wherein the interrogator isconfigured for acquiring information associated with a calleridentification transmitted within an incoming telephone call; whereinthe interrogator comprises a receiving device configured to receive theincoming telephone call and to extract the caller identification fromthe incoming telephone call, an interrogating device configured toreceive the extracted caller identification from the receiving deviceand to interrogate in-formation associated with the calleridentification from an external data base, which is configured tooperate independently from the user voice communication device for whichthe incoming telephone call is intended for, and a forwarding deviceconfigured to receive and to forward the interrogated information;wherein the forwarding device is configured to forward the associatedinformation to a remote user voice communication device for which thetele-phone call is intended for over at least one third communicationchannel connecting the interrogator and the remote user voicecommunication device; wherein the interrogator and the external database are connected in such way that the interrogator may interrogateinformation associated with the caller identification from the externaldata base when receiving the incoming call.
 6. A user voicecommunication device, comprising: a microphone for recording of voicesignals; a loudspeaker for reproduction of voice signals; an inputdevice configured for controlling operations of the user voicecommunication device by user actions; a display device configured topresent information in visual form; and an interrogator for acquiringinformation associated with a caller identification, transmitted withinan incoming telephone call, the interrogator comprising: a receivingdevice configured to receive the incoming telephone call and to extractthe caller identification from the incoming telephone call, aninterrogating device configured to receive the extracted calleridentification from the receiving device and to interrogate informationassociated with the caller identification from an external data base,which is configured to operate independently from the user voicecommunication device for which the incoming telephone call is intendedfor, and a forwarding device configured to receive and to forward theinterrogated information; wherein the display device is configured topresent the interrogated information forwarded by the interrogator whenreceiving the incoming telephone call; wherein the user voicecommunication device comprises a contact list, wherein the user voicecommunication device is configured in such way that the interrogatedinformation is used to update the contact list automatically or on arespective user action at the input device.
 7. The user voicecommunication device according to claim 6, wherein the user voicecommunication device is configured in such way that it is selectable bya respective user action at the input device whether the interrogatedinformation, information from the contact list related to the calleridentification or a mixture of both is presented at the display devicewhen receiving the incoming telephone call.
 8. The user voicecommunication device according to claim 6, wherein the user voicecommunication device is configured in such way that, if information fromthe contact list related to the caller identification is available, theavailable information from the contact list is presented automaticallyat the display device when receiving the incoming telephone call in casethat the interrogated information is not forwarded.
 9. The user voicecommunication device according to claim 6, wherein statistics regardingprevious telephone calls with the same caller identification forwardedby the interrogator are presented at the display device automaticallywhen receiving the incoming telephone call and/or upon a respective useraction at the input device.